GREEN BAY-Spring has sprung and the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay heirloom vegetable plant sale is just around the corner.

The Natural and Applied Sciences department at UW-Green Bay is holding the event Saturday, May 17, at the Lab Sciences Building Greenhouse located on campus at 2420 Nicolet Drive. Doors open at 9 a.m. with numbers passed out starting at 7:30 a.m. All plants are $1.50.

Tomato lovers can indulge in several early-maturing and open-pollinated varieties, including Fourth of July hybrids, Siberian, early Czech variety Stupice, Glacier, Alaskan Fancy, Sub-Artic Plenty (developed for U.S. military personnel serving in Greenland) and Oregon Spring.

Cherry tomato varieties included early and annual producers that were crack-resistant, such as Christmas Grapes and Red Currant; reds including Isis Candy and German Sugar Lump; and low-acid varieties including Lemon Drop, Yellow Pear and Green Grape.

One of the orange tomatoes offered, Persimmon, won Brown County Extension-sponsored taste tests in 2007. This variety has produced giant 2-lb. fruits.

More than 1,000 bell peppers, including Golden Calwonder, Jupiter, King of the North and Keystone, and a new purple bell called Purple Beauty, are expected to go fast.

Also available alongside several varieties of hot peppers is a mild Habanero called Tobago Seasoning, which was discovered on a UW-Green Bay-sponsored trip to Tobago.

Featured eggplants include the traditional Large Purple Black Beauty, Green, purple and variegated forms of the long Asian-type eggplants and two small Round Purple and Red varieties.

Finally, the sale will offer dark purple basil as well as an unusual type of heirloom flower, a "Hot Biscuit" strain of a Love Lies Bleeding flower. These flowers can grow to four-feet tall and offer habitat and food for birds.

The annual sale, sponsored by the Natural and Applied Sciences academic unit, began in 1994 with 300 seedlings. Students benefit from the proceeds that are used to bring in scientists and other speakers that students otherwise would not be able to meet, and to support student travel to conferences where they can present results of their research and meet scientists in their fields.